A boat carrying 500 refugees sunk at sea. The story of two survivors | Melissa Fleming | TEDxThessaloniki
-
0:12 - 0:17Every day, I listen to harrowing stories
of people fleeing for their lives, -
0:17 - 0:21across dangerous borders
and unfriendly seas. -
0:22 - 0:26But there's one story
that keeps me awake at night, -
0:26 - 0:28and it's about Doaa.
-
0:28 - 0:30A Syrian refugee, 19 years old,
-
0:30 - 0:35she was living a grinding existence
in Egypt. -
0:36 - 0:39She was working day wages.
-
0:39 - 0:43Her dad was constantly thinking
of his thriving business back in Syria -
0:43 - 0:46that had been blown to pieces by a bomb.
-
0:47 - 0:53And the war that drove them there
was still raging in its fourth year. -
0:54 - 0:57And the community
that once welcomed them there -
0:57 - 0:59had become weary of them.
-
1:00 - 1:04And one day, men on motorcycles
tried to kidnap her. -
1:04 - 1:09Once an aspiring student
thinking only of her future, -
1:09 - 1:12now she was scared all the time.
-
1:14 - 1:16But she was also full of hope,
-
1:16 - 1:21because she was in love
with a fellow Syrian refugee named Bassem. -
1:21 - 1:25Bassem was also struggling in Egypt,
and he said to Doaa, -
1:25 - 1:29"Let's go to Europe; seek asylum, safety.
-
1:29 - 1:34I will work, you can study --
the promise of a new life." -
1:34 - 1:37And he asked her father
for her hand in marriage. -
1:38 - 1:40And her father said yes.
-
1:40 - 1:44But they knew to get to Europe
they had to risk their lives, -
1:46 - 1:49traveling across the Mediterranean Sea,
-
1:49 - 1:53putting their hands in smugglers',
notorious for their cruelty. -
1:55 - 1:58And Doaa was terrified of the water.
-
1:59 - 2:02She always had been.
She never learned to swim. -
2:04 - 2:08It was August that year,
and already 2,000 people had died -
2:08 - 2:11trying to cross the Mediterranean,
-
2:11 - 2:15but Doaa knew of a friend who had made it
all the way to Northern Europe, -
2:15 - 2:18and she thought, "Maybe we can, too."
-
2:18 - 2:21So she asked her parents if they could go,
-
2:21 - 2:24and after a painful discussion,
they consented, -
2:25 - 2:30and Bassem paid his entire life savings --
2,500 dollars each -- -
2:31 - 2:33to the smugglers.
-
2:33 - 2:36It was a Saturday morning
when the call came, -
2:36 - 2:41and they were taken by bus to a beach,
hundreds of people on the beach. -
2:41 - 2:45They were taken then by small boats
onto an old fishing boat, -
2:45 - 2:48500 of them crammed onto that boat,
-
2:48 - 2:51300 below, 500 above.
-
2:51 - 2:56There were Syrians, Palestinians,
Africans, Muslims and Christians, -
2:56 - 3:03100 children, including Sandra --
little Sandra, six years old -- -
3:04 - 3:06and Masa, 18 months.
-
3:08 - 3:11There were families on that boat,
crammed together shoulder to shoulder, -
3:11 - 3:13feet to feet.
-
3:13 - 3:18Doaa was sitting with her legs
crammed up to her chest, -
3:19 - 3:21Bassem holding her hand.
-
3:22 - 3:25Day two on the water,
they were sick with worry -
3:25 - 3:28and sick to their stomachs
from the rough sea. -
3:29 - 3:32Day three, Doaa had a premonition.
-
3:33 - 3:37And she said to Bassem,
"I fear we're not going to make it. -
3:37 - 3:40I fear the boat is going to sink."
-
3:40 - 3:43And Bassem said to her,
"Please be patient. -
3:43 - 3:46We will make it to Sweden,
we will get married -
3:46 - 3:49and we will have a future."
-
3:50 - 3:54Day four, the passengers
were getting agitated. -
3:54 - 3:57They asked the captain,
"When will we get there?" -
3:57 - 4:00He told them to shut up,
and he insulted them. -
4:01 - 4:05He said, "In 16 hours we will reach
the shores of Italy." -
4:05 - 4:08They were weak and weary.
-
4:08 - 4:12Soon they saw a boat approach --
a smaller boat, 10 men on board, -
4:12 - 4:15who started shouting at them,
hurling insults, -
4:15 - 4:20throwing sticks, asking them
to all disembark -
4:20 - 4:24and get on this smaller,
more unseaworthy boat. -
4:24 - 4:27The parents were terrified
for their children, -
4:27 - 4:31and they collectively
refused to disembark. -
4:32 - 4:35So the boat sped away in anger,
-
4:35 - 4:39and a half an hour later, came back
-
4:40 - 4:45and started deliberately ramming a hole
in the side of Doaa's boat, -
4:46 - 4:49just below where she
and Bassem were sitting. -
4:51 - 4:53And she heard how they yelled,
-
4:54 - 4:57"Let the fish eat your flesh!"
-
4:58 - 5:03And they started laughing
as the boat capsized and sank. -
5:05 - 5:08The 300 people below deck were doomed.
-
5:08 - 5:12Doaa was holding on to the side
of the boat as it sank, -
5:13 - 5:19and watched in horror as a small child
was cut to pieces by the propeller. -
5:21 - 5:23Bassem said to her, "Please let go,
-
5:23 - 5:26or you'll be swept in and the propeller
will kill you, too." -
5:27 - 5:29And remember -- she can't swim.
-
5:30 - 5:34But she let go and she started moving
her arms and her legs, -
5:34 - 5:36thinking, "This is swimming."
-
5:36 - 5:39And miraculously,
Bassem found a life ring. -
5:40 - 5:43It was one of those child's rings
-
5:43 - 5:46that they use to play
in swimming pools and on calm seas. -
5:47 - 5:49And Doaa climbed onto the ring,
-
5:49 - 5:52her arms and her legs
dangling by the side. -
5:54 - 5:55Bassem was a good swimmer,
-
5:55 - 5:58so he held her hand and tread water.
-
6:01 - 6:03Around them there were corpses.
-
6:03 - 6:06Around 100 people survived initially,
-
6:06 - 6:09and they started coming together
in groups, praying for rescue. -
6:10 - 6:15But when a day went by and no one came,
-
6:15 - 6:17some people gave up hope,
-
6:17 - 6:19and Doaa and Bassem watched
-
6:19 - 6:25as men in the distance took their
life vests off and sank into the water. -
6:26 - 6:32One man approached them
with a small baby perched on his shoulder, -
6:32 - 6:34nine months old -- Malek.
-
6:34 - 6:39He was holding onto a gas canister
to stay afloat, and he said to them, -
6:39 - 6:41"I fear I am not going to survive.
-
6:41 - 6:44I'm too weak. I don't have
the courage anymore." -
6:44 - 6:49And he handed little Malek
over to Bassem and to Doaa, -
6:50 - 6:52and they perched her onto the life ring.
-
6:54 - 6:59So now they were three,
Doaa, Bassem and little Malek. -
6:59 - 7:02And let me take a pause
in this story right here -
7:02 - 7:05and ask the question:
-
7:05 - 7:10why do refugees like Doaa
take these kinds of risks? -
7:11 - 7:16Millions of refugees are living
in exile, in limbo. -
7:17 - 7:22They're living in countries [fleeing]
from a war that has been raging -
7:22 - 7:24for four years.
-
7:26 - 7:29Even if they wanted to return, they can't.
-
7:29 - 7:32Their homes, their businesses,
-
7:32 - 7:36their towns and their cities
have been completely destroyed. -
7:36 - 7:37I saw it for myself,
-
7:37 - 7:41on a recent visit to Homs, in Syria.
-
7:42 - 7:45This is a UNESCO World Heritage City,
-
7:45 - 7:49and this is how that
once vibrant place looks now. -
7:50 - 7:55So people continue to flee
across borders, -
7:55 - 7:57into neighboring countries,
-
7:57 - 8:01and we build refugee camps
for them in the desert. -
8:01 - 8:05Hundreds of thousands of people
live in camps like these, -
8:05 - 8:10and thousands and thousands more,
millions, live in towns and cities. -
8:10 - 8:11And the communities,
-
8:11 - 8:14the neighboring countries
that once welcomed them -
8:14 - 8:16with open arms and hearts
-
8:16 - 8:17are overwhelmed.
-
8:18 - 8:22There are simply not enough schools,
water systems, sanitation. -
8:23 - 8:28Even rich European countries
could never handle such an influx -
8:28 - 8:31without massive investment.
-
8:33 - 8:38The Syria war has driven almost
four million people over the borders, -
8:38 - 8:43but over seven million people
are on the run inside the country. -
8:43 - 8:47That means that over half
the Syrian population -
8:47 - 8:49has been forced to flee.
-
8:50 - 8:54Back to those neighboring
countries hosting so many. -
8:55 - 9:00They feel that the richer world
has done too little to support them. -
9:01 - 9:06And days have turned into months,
months into years. -
9:07 - 9:10A refugee's stay is supposed
to be temporary. -
9:10 - 9:14Back to Doaa and Bassem in the water.
-
9:14 - 9:18It was their second day,
and Bassem was getting very weak. -
9:19 - 9:23And now it was Doaa's turn
to say to Bassem, -
9:23 - 9:29"My love, please hold on to hope,
to our future. We will make it." -
9:30 - 9:32And he said to her,
-
9:32 - 9:37"I'm sorry, my love,
that I put you in this situation. -
9:37 - 9:42I have never loved anyone
as much as I love you." -
9:43 - 9:47And he released himself into the water,
-
9:47 - 9:53and Doaa watched as the love of her life
drowned before her eyes. -
9:56 - 9:59Later that day,
-
9:59 - 10:04a mother came up to Doaa with her
small 18-month-old daughter, Masa. -
10:05 - 10:08This was the little girl I showed you
in the picture earlier, -
10:08 - 10:10with the life vests.
-
10:10 - 10:12Her older sister Sandra had just drowned,
-
10:12 - 10:16and her mother knew she had to do
everything in her power -
10:16 - 10:18to save her daughter.
-
10:18 - 10:22And she said to Doaa,
"Please take this child. -
10:22 - 10:26Let her be part of you.
I will not survive." -
10:28 - 10:31And then she went away and drowned.
-
10:32 - 10:36So Doaa, the 19-year-old refugee
who was terrified of the water, -
10:36 - 10:38who couldn't swim,
-
10:38 - 10:44found herself in charge
of two little baby kids. -
10:44 - 10:48And they were thirsty and they were hungry
and they were agitated, -
10:48 - 10:50and she tried her best to amuse them,
-
10:50 - 10:54to sing to them, to say words
to them from the Quran. -
10:56 - 11:01Around them, the bodies were bloating
and turning black. -
11:01 - 11:02The sun was blazing during the day.
-
11:02 - 11:05At night, there was a cold moon and fog.
-
11:05 - 11:07It was very frightening.
-
11:10 - 11:14On the fourth day in the water,
anothe man came - -
11:16 - 11:19and this is the scene,
this is how Doaa probably looked -
11:20 - 11:22on the ring with her two children.
-
11:23 - 11:26A woman came on the fourth day
and approached her -
11:26 - 11:29and asked her to take another child --
-
11:29 - 11:33a little boy, just four years old.
-
11:34 - 11:38When Doaa took the little boy
and the mother drowned, -
11:38 - 11:40she said to the sobbing child,
-
11:40 - 11:43"She just went away
to find you water and food." -
11:45 - 11:47But his heart soon stopped,
-
11:47 - 11:51and Doaa had to release
the little boy into the water. -
11:52 - 11:54Later that day,
-
11:54 - 11:57she looked up into the sky with hope,
-
11:57 - 12:01because she saw two planes
crossing in the sky. -
12:01 - 12:06And she waved her arms,
hoping they would see her, -
12:06 - 12:08but the planes were soon gone.
-
12:09 - 12:12But that afternoon,
as the sun was going down, -
12:12 - 12:15she saw a boat, a merchant vessel.
-
12:16 - 12:20And she said, "Please, God,
let them rescue me." -
12:20 - 12:24She waved her arms and she felt
like she shouted for about two hours. -
12:24 - 12:28And it had become dark,
but finally the searchlights found her -
12:28 - 12:31and they extended a rope,
-
12:31 - 12:36astonished to see a woman
clutching onto two babies. -
12:36 - 12:40They pulled them onto the boat,
they got oxygen and blankets, -
12:40 - 12:43and a Greek helicopter came
to pick them up -
12:43 - 12:45and take them to the island of Crete.
-
12:46 - 12:49But Doaa looked down and asked,
"What of Malek?" -
12:50 - 12:54And they told her the little baby
did not survive -- -
12:54 - 12:57she drew her last breath
in the boat's clinic. -
12:58 - 13:04But Doaa was sure that as they had
been pulled up onto the rescue boat, -
13:04 - 13:07that little baby girl had been smiling.
-
13:09 - 13:15Only 11 people survived
that wreck, of the 500. -
13:16 - 13:21There was never an international
investigation into what happened. -
13:21 - 13:25There were some media reports
about mass murder at sea, -
13:25 - 13:26a terrible tragedy,
-
13:26 - 13:29but that was only for one day.
-
13:29 - 13:33And then the news cycle moved on.
-
13:35 - 13:39Meanwhile, in a pediatric
hospital on Crete, -
13:39 - 13:42little Masa was on the edge of death.
-
13:44 - 13:47She was really dehydrated.
Her kidneys were failing. -
13:47 - 13:49Her glucose levels were dangerously low.
-
13:49 - 13:53The doctors did everything
in their medical power to save them, -
13:53 - 13:57and the Greek nurses never left her side,
-
13:57 - 13:59holding her, hugging her,
singing her words. -
13:59 - 14:04My colleagues also visited
and said pretty words to her in Arabic. -
14:04 - 14:09Amazingly, little Masa survived.
-
14:09 - 14:15And soon the Greek press started reporting
about the miracle baby, -
14:15 - 14:21who had survived four days in the water
without food or anything to drink, -
14:22 - 14:27and offers to adopt her came
from all over the country. -
14:28 - 14:31And meanwhile, Doaa
was in another hospital on Crete, -
14:31 - 14:33thin, dehydrated.
-
14:34 - 14:40An Egyptian family stayed with her
all through the time -
14:40 - 14:44and took her into their home
as soon as she was released. -
14:45 - 14:49And soon word went around
about Doaa's survival, -
14:50 - 14:53and a phone number
was published on Facebook. -
14:54 - 14:56Messages started coming in.
-
14:57 - 15:02"Doaa, do you know
what happened to my brother? -
15:02 - 15:09My sister? My parents? My friends?
Do you know if they survived?" -
15:10 - 15:13One of those messages said,
-
15:13 - 15:18"I believe you saved
my little niece, Masa." -
15:20 - 15:23And it had this photo.
-
15:24 - 15:27This was from Masa's uncle,
-
15:27 - 15:31a Syrian refugee who had made it
to Sweden with his family -
15:31 - 15:34and also Masa's older sister.
-
15:34 - 15:40Soon, we hope, Masa will be reunited
with him in Sweden, -
15:40 - 15:46and until then, she's being cared for
in a beautiful orphanage in Athens. -
15:47 - 15:53And Doaa? Well, word went around
about her survival, too. -
15:54 - 15:57And the media wrote
about this slight woman, -
15:57 - 16:01and couldn't imagine how
she could survive all this time -
16:01 - 16:04under such conditions in that sea,
-
16:04 - 16:07and still save another life.
-
16:09 - 16:15The Academy of Athens, one of Greece's
most prestigious institutions, -
16:15 - 16:18gave her an award of bravery,
-
16:18 - 16:21and she deserves all that praise,
-
16:21 - 16:24and she deserves a second chance.
-
16:25 - 16:28But she wants to still go to Sweden.
-
16:28 - 16:31She wants to reunite
with her family there. -
16:31 - 16:35She wants to bring her mother
and her father and her younger siblings -
16:35 - 16:37away from Egypt there as well,
-
16:37 - 16:40and I believe she will succeed.
-
16:40 - 16:43She wants to become a lawyer
or a politician -
16:43 - 16:48or something that can help
fight injustice. -
16:48 - 16:51She is an extraordinary survivor.
-
16:52 - 16:55But I have to ask:
-
16:55 - 16:57what if she didn't have to take that risk?
-
16:57 - 17:00Why did she have to go through all that?
-
17:00 - 17:05Why wasn't there a legal way
for her to study in Europe? -
17:05 - 17:10Why couldn't Masa have taken
an airplane to Sweden? -
17:10 - 17:12Why couldn't Bassem have found work?
-
17:13 - 17:19Why is there no massive resettlement
program for Syrian refugees, -
17:19 - 17:22the victims of the worst war of our times?
-
17:23 - 17:28The world did this for the Vietnamese
in the 1970s. Why not now? -
17:30 - 17:34Why is there so little investment
in the neighboring countries -
17:34 - 17:37hosting so many refugees?
-
17:38 - 17:41And why, the root question,
-
17:41 - 17:47is so little being done to stop
the wars, the persecution -
17:47 - 17:52and the poverty that is driving
so many people -
17:52 - 17:54to the shores of Europe?
-
17:55 - 17:58Until these issues are resolved,
-
17:58 - 18:01people will continue to take to the seas
-
18:01 - 18:04and to seek safety and asylum.
-
18:05 - 18:07And what happens next?
-
18:07 - 18:10Well, that is largely Europe's choice.
-
18:10 - 18:13And I understand the public fears.
-
18:14 - 18:20People are worried about their security,
their economies, the changes of culture. -
18:21 - 18:25But is that more important
than saving human lives? -
18:26 - 18:29Because there is something
fundamental here -
18:29 - 18:31that I think overrides the rest,
-
18:31 - 18:35and it is about our common humanity.
-
18:36 - 18:40No person fleeing war or persecution
-
18:40 - 18:45should have to die
crossing a sea to reach safety. -
18:45 - 18:52(Applause)
-
19:02 - 19:03One thing is for sure,
-
19:03 - 19:06that no refugee would be
on those dangerous boats -
19:06 - 19:09if they could thrive where they are.
-
19:09 - 19:12And no migrant would take
that dangerous journey -
19:12 - 19:16if they had enough food
for themselves and their children. -
19:16 - 19:19And no one would put their life savings
-
19:19 - 19:21in the hands of those notorious smugglers
-
19:21 - 19:24if there was a legal way to migrate.
-
19:26 - 19:30So on behalf of little Masa
-
19:30 - 19:32and on behalf of Doaa
-
19:32 - 19:34and of Bassem
-
19:34 - 19:39and of those 500 people
who drowned with them, -
19:39 - 19:42can we make sure that they
did not die in vain? -
19:43 - 19:46Could we be inspired by what happened,
-
19:46 - 19:52and take a stand for a world
in which every life matters? -
19:53 - 19:55Thank you.
-
19:55 - 20:01(Applause)
-
20:16 - 20:18Host: Thank you, Melissa, very much.
-
20:18 - 20:21I thought you would like to stay with me.
-
20:27 - 20:29It's an unbelievable story.
-
20:29 - 20:33I don't know how many of these
you've encountered -
20:33 - 20:35over the past months.
-
20:35 - 20:38But it's a happy story.
It's a happy end. -
20:40 - 20:45And it's one that concentrates
on what you just said lastly, -
20:45 - 20:48what matters is our own humanity,
-
20:48 - 20:51Melissa Fleming: That's right.
-
20:53 - 20:56We all hear so many stories
of the growing numbers, -
20:56 - 20:59400% more refugees coming to Greece,
-
21:00 - 21:04millions of refugees
fleeing for their lives - -
21:04 - 21:07these numbers are hard
for any human being to fathom. -
21:08 - 21:10And so I think what we need to do,
-
21:10 - 21:13it's our responsibility
to find out the human story, -
21:13 - 21:15the individual story.
-
21:16 - 21:19And one of the things
I always find with refugees -
21:19 - 21:23is they have unbelievable resilience,
-
21:24 - 21:27tales that I hear I can't imagine
ever going through myself -
21:27 - 21:30and living through it,
and yet they do emerge -
21:31 - 21:34and what they need
is just a bit of humanity, -
21:34 - 21:36and a boost from the world,
-
21:36 - 21:40because they're certainly
not coming here voluntarily. -
21:40 - 21:42They would much rather be in their homes.
-
21:44 - 21:47Host: Thank you very much, Melissa.
MF: Thank you for having me here. -
21:47 - 21:49(Applause)
- Title:
- A boat carrying 500 refugees sunk at sea. The story of two survivors | Melissa Fleming | TEDxThessaloniki
- Description:
-
Aboard an overloaded ship carrying more than 500 refugees, a young woman becomes an unlikely hero. This single, powerful story, told by Melissa Fleming of the UN's refugee agency, gives a human face to the sheer numbers of human beings trying to escape to better lives ... as the refugee ships keep coming ...
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 21:51